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 Ms Wilkinson:

Champion for women who are being suppressed.

Mr Sharaz:

And I assumed that, because I tried to show.

Ms Wilkinson:

No, I'm always about exactly the same thing. The inequality that exists out there, whether it's white privilege, whether it's male domination, whether it's criminal activity that is suppressed. I'm a girl from the western suburbs of Sydney, I'll always be motivated by exactly the same thing. People who deserve to be heard, not being heard.

***

Ms Wilkinson:

David just asked me an important question that you probably, well, you should know the answer to. David said, what's in it for me, as a journalist. And my background is, I was a kid from Campbelltown, who knew no-one, went to public school, and just got into media and love what I do. So, I come from a place of, I know what it is to be nobody. And to see good people repressed, suppressed, and their stories not heard. And certainly, particularly, writing my book at the moment and looking back on the treatment of women. And we've come a long way, if you look at the history of the world, we’ve come a long way in a very short space of time. But we can’t stop. And this is, like, if you were a bloke, you wouldn’t be getting this treatment.

Ms Higgins:

No, not at all.

Mr Sharaz:

No, it's much easier.

Ms Wilkinson:

Yeah. And it's not necessarily, it's certainly not just a gender story, it's a Canberra bubble story. But women in particular, it's, I mean, so often you hear, Canberra is not a safe place for women.

943 From the moment she received information from Mr Sharaz (and before even seeing Ms Higgins), and without any further detail or checking, she wanted to tell the "explosive political story" of "an extraordinary coverup" as revealed in the fact she immediately had consulted with the powers that be and had expressed her resolve that "we're going huge with it" in a March release (Ex R117, 19 January 2021 (at 7:19pm)).

944 Although I accept that various communications did not go to her (see, for example, Ex R673 on 14 February, and Ex R782 and Ex R793 on 15 February); Ms Wilkinson did not write the script (T1898.30); and it was not possible for Ms Wilkinson to be involved in any late Lehrmann v Network Ten Pty Limited (Trial Judgment) [2024] FCA 369